630 chin
annually would congratulate the Chin emperor on his birthday and
on the New Year’s Day. (Sung shih 29:17b, 18a, 18b, 19a; Chin shih 4:
8a; 77:5a-6b).
On Apr.20, 1142, Hsi-tsung sent the Commissioner of Palace
Attendants to recognize Kao-tsung as emperor and to inform him
that his mother, the Lady Wei, and the corpses of his first empress,
the Lady Hsing, of Hui-tsung, and of Hui-tsung’s empress, the Lady
Cheng, would be returned (Chin shih 4:8b).
On Apr.28, 1142, Kao-tsung sent envoys to meet the imperial cof-
fins. On May 1, the cortège conveying the Empress Dowager^10 and
the imperial coffins left Wu-kuo town with a Jurchen escort (Sung shih
30:1b).
On May 29, 1142, Kao-tsung sent envoys to congratulate Hsi-tsung
on his birthday^11 (Sung shih 30:1b).
On Aug.23, 1142, Chin envoys were received at the Southern Sung
court to discuss the border (Sung shih 30:1a).
On Sep.5, 1142, Kao-tsung sent envoys to the Chin court (Sung
shih 30:2a).
On Sep.13, 1142, Kao-tsung’s mother, the Empress Dowager,
arrived in Lin-an and took up residence in the Palace of Compas-
sionate Repose (Sung shih 30:2a).
On Sep.16, 1142, the coffins of Hui-tsung, his empress, the Lady
Cheng, and Kao-tsung’s empress, the Lady Hsing arrived in Lin-an.
On Sep.20, Kao-tsung paid obeisance to them, dressed in coarse
mourning garments (Sung shih 22:13a; 30:2a-2b).
In the 8th month (Aug./Sep.) of 1142, the border between Chin
and Southern Sung was delineated (Sung shih 30:2b).
On Oct.7, 1142, Kao-tsung received nine Chin envoys in audience.
It was probably this mission which brought an oath letter confirming
the recent treaty. This was stored in the office of the Palace Domestic
Service (Sung shih 30:2b).
In the 9th month (Sep./Oct.) of 1142, Kao-tsung sent another
envoy to the Chin court (Sung shih 30:2b).
Diplomatic relations between Southern Sung and Chin now settled
down to routine, just as they had done between Northern Sung and
Liao after the peace of Shan-yüan in 1005.
(^10) I.e. Kao-tsung’s mother, the Lady Wei.
(^11) It fell on Feb.3, 1143.